


Smuggling Bears

by Vorcha_Girl



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Kissing, Romance, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-04
Updated: 2017-07-04
Packaged: 2018-11-23 08:13:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11398614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vorcha_Girl/pseuds/Vorcha_Girl
Summary: Reyes Vidal smuggles some top secret cargo into Kadara to surprise Ryder for her birthday.





	Smuggling Bears

**Author's Note:**

> A short and fluffy Reyder piece written for my friend Dahliadrawsthings on tumblr for her birthday. It's a bit late, but I hope you love it all the same! *hugs* Thank you for being a wonderful friend!

* * *

 "I have a surprise for you."

Aadya looked up as the voice wrapped around her, smooth as silk and with a familiar timbre that sent shivers down her spine. She hadn't heard Reyes sneak up on her, but she turned to find him leaning against a cargo crate watching her, his hip cocked and a smug expression tugging at the corners of his mouth. His golden eyes burned like that of a tiger as he straightened and lazily prowled forward, looking for all the world as though he planned to eat her up.

She loved the way he watched her, especially since she was pretty sure she watched _him_ the same way.

"A surprise?" Aadya smiled and turned to face him, the shopkeeper she'd been bartering with instantly forgotten.

Reyes grinned, and the air burned a little brighter around her. "Yes." He held a hand out. "A _birthday_ surprise."

She gaped; _no one outside the Tempest was supposed to know it was her birthday! She’d sworn the crew to secrecy!_

"How did you ... ?"

"A little bird told me." He waggled his eyebrows as Aadya stepped forward and took his hand; she was as curious about the present as she was _how_ he had discovered it was her birthday.

She let him pull her into his arms. “I like surprises,” she said, and trailed a finger down his chest, playing with the buckles and zipper. “Where is it?”

His smile widened, teeth gleaming in the Kadara sun. “At my apartment. This surprise was far too special for me to risk bringing it to Tartarus.” He leaned close, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “It’s a wild animal.”

Aadya gaped at him again;  _was he serious?_

“An animal? Is it an adhi pup?” she guessed.

Reyes shook his head, his eyes dancing with amusement. “Nope, it’s something from Earth,” he hinted as he looped his arm with hers and led her towards his apartment.

“A cat?” Aadya wheedled, giving him pleading eyes as she fished for another hint. “A puppy?”

He laughed. “Don’t I wish!” But he shook his head in the negative again. “No, no kittens or puppies. But you’re _very_ fond of this animal. They come in many colours and they’re very small.” A smirk played around his mouth.

She screwed up her face as she tried to think what it could be. Had he somehow procured her a hamster? A rat? A mouse? His apartment door was just ahead and she bounced excitedly as they drew close, eager for her birthday surprise. The rest of the crew had given her gifts too, it was true, but receiving a gift from Reyes was _different_.

 _He_ was different.

“I can’t believe you got me a present,” she squeezed his arm and hugged him close as they paused outside of his front door. “How _did_ you find out?”

He unlocked the door and ushered her out of Kadara’s stifling midday heat. “Now, Aadya, you have to leave me with some secrets!”

She rolled her eyes. “I bet it was Liam. He’s such a romantic he probably volunteered the information as well as a long list of potential romantic vids to show me.”

“Well, the list wasn’t that long-” Reyes started to say and stopped himself, clearing his throat awkwardly. “I mean, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She laughed. “I knew it! He has no shame! I’d be cross at him, but … .”

“But you want your surprise?” he guessed.

Aadya grinned. “You know me so well!”

Reyes dipped his head and kissed the tip of her nose. “Well, I’m grateful to Liam.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, nuzzling the side of her neck. “You deserve to be spoiled.”

“I do,” she agreed and wriggled free of his grasp, staring longingly at the crate. “Can I open it?”

“Be my guest.”

Aadya almost skipped to the wooden crate, tingling with excitement as she leaned close, trying to hear what could be inside. She heard nothing except Reyes snorting with amusement, and she threw a dirty look over her shoulder. Clearly, whatever was inside wasn’t going to make much noise, so without further ado she picked up the crowbar sitting on top, and cautiously began to pry the lid off.

“Careful,” Reyes warned her as it came loose, his tone serious. “They might bite.”

She opened the lid slowly and peered inside. The inside of the crate was dark, and she widened the gap, trying to see more. There was something in there, but it didn’t look like an animal. It looked like ... packages? _Brightly coloured packages._ With a gasp she recognised them and flung back the lid, all but diving into the crate in her joy to reach the objects of her desire.

“Gummy bears!” Aadya shrieked joyously as she came back out of the crate with a packet of the gummies in each hand. She turned back to face Reyes. “ _How?_ How did you get so much candy?”

He grinned lazily and lounged against his bedroom door, one eyebrow raised. “With great difficulty, but it was worth it for _that_ reaction.”

She clutched them to her chest and dug through the other packets in the crate. As well as gummy bears, there were packets of lollipops, sticks of gum, and delicious looking hard candies. Aadya let out a small squeak of surprise as she ran her fingers through them. They all looked so delicious, but it were the tiny multi-coloured bears which she loved the most.

“You smuggled me wild animals, huh?” She opened a pack and popped one into her mouth, chewing with relief as the sugary goodness filled her with a sense of wellbeing. She loved candy more than anything else in Andromeda and her current stash was running low. How Reyes had gotten his hands on so much was beyond her, but right now she didn’t care!

He could have been the devil himself and she still would have thanked him!

Reyes sidled forward and gave her a smug look. “Lions, tigers, and _bears_ … “

“Oh my,” Aadya finished, passing Reyes a gummy which he ate with a smile. “Damn, you’re smooth.”

He chuckled and caught her to him, the gummies squished between their bodies. “Believe me, there isn’t much I wouldn’t do to see you smile, Aadya.” He dipped his head and captured her lips with his. The kiss was sweet and tasted of gummies, and she grinned as he pulled away and stroked a gentle hand down her cheek. “Smuggling some wild bears is the least I could do.”

Aadya giggled as Reyes scooped her into his arms and carried her over to the bed, the gummies still clutched tightly in her hands. She peeked at him through her hair as he placed her on the bed, a broad grin playing around her mouth as she pulled him close for a kiss and then moved her mouth to his ear, giggles wracking her body as she whispered the truest words she could think of: “You really are the _sweetest_ , Reyes!”

He snorted and picked up a gummy, putting it in her mouth and then kissing her soundly. “Not as sweet as you!”

And given her love of sweets, Aadya could hardly argue.


End file.
